The Lion and the Hunter by Jean de La Fontaine

A braggart devoted to hunting loses a valuable dog and assumes that a lion has devoured it. Meeting a shepherd, he boldly demands to be shown the lion’s refuge so that he may punish the robber. The shepherd points out the lion’s place on the mountainside and explains that he regularly pays it a sheep as tribute. When the lion suddenly leaps out and approaches, the hunter’s confidence vanishes: instead of seeking justice, he begs Jove for a safe escape. The fable shows that real danger tests courage and reveals who can truly stand firm and who will flee.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Moral Tale · 227 words

First lines

A braggart, lover of the chase, / Had lost a dog of valued race, / And thought him in a lion's maw. / He ask'd a shepherd whom he saw, / 'Pray show me, man, the robber's place, / And I'll have justice in the case. ' / ''Tis on this mountain side,' / The shepherd man replied. / 'The tribute of a sheep I pay, / Each month, and where I please I stray. ' / Out leap'd the lion as he spake, / And came that way, with agile feet. / The braggart, prompt his flight to take, / Cried, 'Jove, O grant a safe retreat!'

A danger close at hand / Of courage is the test. / It shows us who will stand -- / Whose legs will run their best.[1]

[1]: Gabrias, or Babrias; and Aesop. See note to preceding fable.

• Open reader

Similar titles

• The Sun And The Frogs Book Vi by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Monkey And The Dolphin by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Lion And The Ass Hunting by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Thieves And The Ass by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Ass And His Masters by Jean De La Fontaine
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Genres

• Fable — The work is a brief moral tale featuring a lion, a hunter, and a shepherd, ending with an explicit lesson about true courage under immediate danger.
• Didactic Literature — Its primary purpose is instructional: it exposes empty boasting and teaches that bravery must be proved by action rather than claims.
• Moral Tale — The narrative presents a simple situation of apparent courage collapsing into fear and concludes with a clear ethical observation.
• Animal Tale — A lion functions as the threatening central animal figure, following the traditional animal-based structure of classical fables.

Tags

French fable · verse narrative · seventeenth-century literature · moral tale · Aesopic tradition · hunting · braggart hunter · lion · shepherd · lost dog · mountainside · animal threat

What this Textopian page supports

The Lion and the Hunter is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1668 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Fable
• Author: Jean de La Fontaine
• Date: 1668 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Fable, Didactic Literature, Moral Tale, Animal Tale, Satire
• Length: 227 words
• Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Lion and the Hunter by Jean de La Fontaine
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

More by Jean de La Fontaine

• To Monseigneur the Dauphin (1668)
• The Grasshopper and the Ant (1668)
• The Raven and the Fox (1668)
• The Frog that Wished to be as Big as the Ox (1668)
• The Two Mules (1668)
• The Wolf and the Dog (1668)
• The Heifer, the Goat, and the Sheep, in Company with the Lion (1668)
• The Wallet (1668)
• All works by Jean de La Fontaine